Vaccinium virgatum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Vaccinium virgatum |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| (unranked): | |
| (unranked): | |
| (unranked): | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: |
V. virgatum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Vaccinium virgatum |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
|
The rabbit-eye blueberry (Vaccinium virgatum) is a type of blueberry. It is also known as the smallflower blueberry or southern black blueberry. This plant grows naturally in the southeastern parts of the United States. You can find it from North Carolina down to Florida and west to Texas.
Contents
About the Rabbit-Eye Blueberry
What Does It Look Like?
The rabbit-eye blueberry is a deciduous shrub. This means it loses its leaves every year. It can grow to be about 3 to 6 feet (around 1 to 2 meters) tall. It can also spread out up to 3 feet wide.
Its leaves grow in a spiral pattern. They are shaped like an oval or a narrow ellipse. Each leaf can be up to 3 inches (about 7.5 cm) long. In spring, the leaves are a reddish-bronze color. Later, they turn a dark green.
The flowers are white and shaped like a bell. They are about 5 millimeters long. The fruit is a small berry, also about 5 millimeters wide. It starts dark blue and turns almost black. A thin, pale blue-gray wax coating covers the berry.
How Does It Make New Berries?
Rabbit-eye blueberries need help to make fruit. They cannot pollinate themselves. This means you need to plant two or more different types (varieties) of rabbit-eye blueberries close together. This way, they can help each other make berries. This process is called pollination.
Busy Bees and Pollination
Honeybees are not the best at pollinating these flowers. Sometimes, carpenter bees will cut the flower petals. They do this to get the sweet nectar inside without pollinating the flower. This is like stealing the nectar!
The best way for V. virgatum to be pollinated is through a special method called buzz pollination. Some bees, like the native southeastern blueberry bee (Habropoda laboriosa), are very good at this. They vibrate their bodies to shake the pollen out of the flowers.
How People Use Rabbit-Eye Blueberries
Tasty Treats and Food
The berries from Vaccinium virgatum are safe to eat. People use them in many ways. You can find them in sauces and syrups. They are also great in breads, muffins, pancakes, and pies.
Beautiful Gardens
People also grow the rabbit-eye blueberry as an ornamental plant. This means they plant it just because it looks nice. It is especially popular in the fall. Its leaves turn bright orange or red, making gardens very colorful.
Growing Rabbit-Eye Blueberries
Rabbit-eye blueberries grow best in soil that is a bit acidic. They do not get many pests or diseases. Remember, they need two different types planted together to make fruit.
If you cover the ground around them with mulch, they can handle cold weather. They can even survive temperatures as low as 10 degrees Fahrenheit (about -12 degrees Celsius). The plants grow to be 3 to 6 feet tall and up to 3 feet wide. While they don't have many insect problems, birds and squirrels love to eat their tasty fruit!
